Kumba
Kumba is a steel roller coaster in the Congo area at Busch Gardens Tampa. The attraction, a former record-breaker, features seven inversions. Ride history Busch Gardens Tampa first announced Kumba in November 1992, stating it would be a record-breaking coaster constructed by B&M, set to become Busch Gardens Tampa's star attraction. Shortly after the announcement, construction began, and was completed sometime from January to March 1993. Kumba opened on April 20, 1993, after a month of testing. Ride synopsis The attraction begins with right-hand turn out of the ride's station. Next, the train enters the 143-foot lift hill. After reaching the hill's crest, the train enters a small pre-drop followed by the ride's main, 135-foot drop, reaching 60mph. Next, the train enters a 114-foot vertical loop that loops over the lift hill. Afterwards, riders feel a slight period of weightlessness in entering a dive loop and a zero-g roll. Next, the train slowly enters a straight portion of track followed by a slight hill, which leads into a cobra roll. The cobra roll is then followed by the attraction's mid-course brake run. Afterwards, riders enter a pair of interlocking corkscrews, and then proceed into a tunnel that leads into an upward helix. Finally, the train enters the last brake run, makes a slight right turn, and reenters the station. Trivia Records *When opened, Kumba held the tallest vertical loop on any coaster in the world, at 108 feet tall. This record was then broken by PortAventura's Dragon Khan. Today, the current record-holder is Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain. *Also, Kumba was the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in Florida. The title of tallest and longest was taken several years later by Montu, another Busch Gardens Tampa coaster. The title of fastest was taken in 1999 by Islands of Adventure's The Incredible Hulk. *Kumba was the first coaster in the world to feature several now-common coaster elements, like interlocking corkscrews and a dive loop. *Kumba is tied for fourth with eleven other coasters for the most inversions on a roller coaster, in which Kumba has 7. *Kumba is one of seven roller coasters to have appeared in the Golden Ticket Awards' Top 50 Roller Coasters since the award's inaugural year, in 1998. Statistics *The attraction's name, ''Kumba, ''taken from the African Kongo language, translates into "''roar" ''in English. *Kumba is also the name of a fish species, an African iron ore company, and a city in the Southwest Province of Cameroon. *The length of Kumba's track is approximately 3,978 feet long. *One ride cycle on Kumba lasts approximately 2 minutes, 54 seconds. *During the coaster's first two years of operation, park attendance raised approximately 15%. *The ride is one of two in the world to have a vertical loop over the lift hill, the other being The Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain. *Kumba tied with Cedar Point's Raptor at the Golden Ticket Awards in 2010 for 24th place. Awards Golden Ticket Awards Mitch Hawker's Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll Photo Gallery